Ketamine Addiction Treatment

Ketamine is a synthetic dissociative anesthetic, which is used to induce and perpetuate anesthesia in veterinary and human practice. Known by other names such as Ketalar, Ket, K, Special K, Kitty, or Horse/Dog/Vet tranquilizer, the drug is commonly used by medical practitioners to induce a trance-like state that helps one sleep while undergoing any sort of medical treatment or surgery. In mild doses, it can also be used to treat major depression and suicidal ideation in emergency room settings.

Using ketamine for treatment can help reduce the need for post-op addictive painkillers. Apart from these, Ketamine has a number of negative aspects as well. Since it is odorless and colorless, and also has an ability to arrest voluntary movements, the drug is currently one of the most sought-after date rape drugs. The drug is also being used by its abusers repeatedly to experience the “K-hole,” wherein users get an out-of-body experience; but this effect usually precedes overdose.

Ketamine abuse and overdose

Ketamine can be swallowed as a pill, mixed in tobacco or marijuana or drinks. It can also be cooked into a white powder for snorting.

Like other drugs, an individual develops a tolerance to the drug after its recurrent use. With ketamine, this happens pretty quickly because it wears off after a short period of time, requiring repeat use to maintain the effects.

Its hallucinatory effects begin within a few minutes and wear off in less than an hour. Some users take it in high doses to achieve the aforementioned K-hole experience described as transcendental by some and terrifying by others.

Some of the common symptoms of ketamine abuse may include:

Confusion, impaired judgement, delirium or amnesia

Changes in perceptions of color or sound

Flashbacks

Hallucinations

Insomnia

Difficulty thinking or learning

Bloody, cloudy pee, trouble peeing or needing to pee often

Pale or bluish lips, fingernails or skin

Blurry vision

Chest pain, discomfort, or tightness

Convulsions

Problems with swallowing

Hives, skin irritation

Puffy or swollen face, eyelids, lips or tongue

Sweating

Feeling too excited, nervous, or restless

Unusual tiredness or weakness

Involuntary muscle movements and slurred speech

Insensitivity to pain

Numbness

Dramatic increase in heart rate

Aggression

Bladder disease called ketamine-induced ulcerative cystitis

What is Addiction?

Addiction is a disease that manipulates a person’s sense of reward, motivation, memory and a number of related neurological functions.

Effects of Ketamine abuse

Ketamine overdose can happen with a single use. Ketamine destabilizes the brain’s chemical balance by blocking the neurotransmitter glutamate at the receptor, causing a trance-like state and disconnection from one’s environment.

Ketamine is in the same family of dissociative analgesics such as PCP, nitrous oxide (laughing gas) and produces hallucinations similar to those while high on LSD.

It causes impairments in brain wiring for both medically prescribed patients and ketamine abusers alike, by spurring a spike in production of superoxide, a toxic free radical.

What our Clients Say!

‘We learned to talk about things in a safe environment & know we won’t be judged because we all have things we have to work towards here.’

Getting Help for Ketamine Abuse

Ketamine addiction is incredibly damaging to the mind, which is why Ketamine treatment should be inclusive of brain restoration modalities, brain-training tools and cognitive behavioral therapies.

The truth is no one wakes up and says “today I’m going to overdose.” Substance abuse usually ignites from smoldering residual issues of prior trauma, mental disorder or inherited proclivities to addiction. The majority of rehabilitation centers only address the external or acute medical symptoms without delving into the root of the problem and offering the person the right form of detoxification treatment.

Sovereign Health presses on, where other ketamine treatment centers stop short. We offer complete ketamine detox treatment at one of our specialized ketamine detox centers, a full spectrum of cognitive therapies and brain wellness tools. Group and individual therapies combined with a detox program provide the insight to move beyond substance abuse.

Residential treatment provides comradery and an atmosphere of mutual accountability to holistically recover. This, in turn, allows the individual to have support from those who are in the same boat. Alternative and experiential therapies provide healthy catharsis and release of energy. A solid Continuing Care program ensures a newly recovered individual will have the safety net of continued brain wellness exercises, practical arsenal of assistance and a new, sober circle for leisure activities and social events.